Flush type door having foamed plastic filler and method of constructing



Fe. 1, 196 c. w. VIETS 2,924,861

FLUSH TYPE DOOR HAVING FOAMED PLASTIC FILLER AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING Filed July 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 22 FIG.2

36 I8 INVENTOR.

CHARLES W. VIETS ATTOR NE YS Feb, 16, 1960 c. w. VIET 2,924,861

FLUSH TYPE DOOR HA VING F ED PLASTIC FILLER AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING Filed July 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V vll I 66 0 INVENTOR.

v v. w v: n. 4*

ATTORNEYS according' to the'pres'ent 'rive ntioninst United States Patent FLUSH TYPE DOOR HAVING FOAMED PLASTIC FILLER AND METHOD OF QONSTRUCTING Charles W. Viets, Dayton, Ohio Application July 16, 1957, Serial No. 672,276 3 Claims. (Cl. 20-35) collecting-ledges, and the absenceof seams and joints that might-open UPJ'OL' become rloose'lvover a period of" time; a

2,924,861 Patented Feb. 16,

Figure 2 is a plan'sectionalview indicated by line 22 on Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view indicated by line 3-3 on Figure 2, and broken out to show both-the top and bottom ends of the door;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional'view indicated by line 4-4 on Figure 1 showing the hingearrange-- ment by means of which the door is hung in'the door opening; t

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one form of rail extending along the edge of, the door for stiffening the door and for imparting dimensional stability thereto;

Figure 6, is a view similar to'Figure 5 but showing a difierent type of stiffening member along the edge of' the door;

Figure 7 is another view similar to Figure 5,' but showing still .another type of stiffening member;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view showing the, upper end of a door-and the manner in which it can be provided with a transversely extending wood sill that, can

be utilized for supporting door hardwarefor 'a sliding zFlush-ty-pe doors ofterijhavegtlie relatively,thin 1 sheets less than completely supported, and c-this often leadslt'o the appearances .of irregularities in thetsurfaces of the door due to thelack of complete supportzgf the facing sheets by theacore of the door; While this is often a problem in connection with flush-type doors,-

what is a more seriousproblem isrthe twisting of the door from end'to end on account of the wood side rails orstiles. J -t .sit A particular object of the present invention is the provision-of a flush-type door construction inwhich the drawbacks referred to above are entirely eliminated.

Another object is the provision of a flush-type door which-is provided with reinforcing rails imparting, dimensional stability thereto. t

I A still further object" of this invention is the; provision of a-flush-type door construction in which the door can readily be cut off to fit various sized openings.

A still further objectof this invention is ,the,provision t. plywood having a decorative outer layepag,The-:fact

that the foamed plasticcompletely fills the space between of a' flush-type door whichis extremely; light,,but which;

is at the same time extrenielyfstrongand the: surface panels of which will remain flat and-true throughout the life offthe'door'. t I 1 -i Azstill' further object'of this'invention is'the provision or a methodbf makinga flush-type :door "in which ,the door can{ be fabricated; quickly sand; relative nexpena sively'; and-a superior end product will result.

s i t n list fur e it is completely ready forfthe'attachinent of t' heh n ges following specification 1 taken in connection; with the 1 ac: v

companying 'draw ings, wherein:- 1 i -Figure is an elevational view illustrating aidoor alled inda door b'ect of "the present inventidn' is the vantagesL-ofthis int/e l doorinstallation;

Figure 9 is,a view similar-to :FigureB; showing arranged in a;

the transverse rail at the top of the door somewhat different manner;

, Figure :10 is as-sectionalyiew showing one-manner in which a door according to thepresent' invention can be manufactured; and .1 a 'x' ,5 --Figur'e 11 is a; sectional view through fan edge ,ofa

door showing amodified arrangement where the metallic stiffening 'railis insetifro-m- "the edgeof the-door. to.

permit aQcovering strip of veneer to be placed thereover.

Referring to the drawings'somewhat moreiin detail, Figure 1 shows a wall '10 having a door opening 12 therein in which is mounted a door 14 constructed according to the present invention.

According to the present invention, the jl'l 00l' lS C01 Jistruoted so, that the core thereofis an expanded plastic material which completely;fills the space between the front and back cover sheets which are' preferably-; thin the front and back-layers provides completesupport-qfor According to the present inventiomthe door is ther provided with metal'edgemembers extending vertic'ally along the edge of the door andjinterlocked with the plasticcorema-teria thus providing for great strength.

"'A 'still futthei" object oftthis invention isztheprovision l Q niethod ofl maniifactun'iig V th same iii which thebasic'- door structure is adaptd' forboth sliding doors and coniie'ntion'aliswinging tloorim rail .of thedoor on the hinge side thereof is indicated at is utilized for attaching the hing and-; rigidity, and imparting dimensional jstability vto o I .rlhst l asaiL a t eq sal-1 f: he 1 -.the door fand. is.

it doesunotnmpo'seany local zed is of advantage because;

stresses on the; door-as in the; case where hinges are;

e {door or to aninsetl w b o kin likem n et-e sia; 1 The aforementioned rails along ,th ledges of thedoor. are preferably setback in'to the door an amount sulficient to permit a strip of veneer to be applied along each,

fastened directly to thewo od oft edge of thedoor in covering relation to the said rails.

This will thus leave all exposed or -visible sides of the door with a wood finish. Referring to the drawings more particularly, the side 11, and on the opposite sideofzthe door is a rail 13 that. is interrupted in the center p -thedogr toperrnrttthe mounting in the door of a member ada'pted ,.fgr receiving the; latchhardwargpf thedcor: 1 member'comprises a lJfqhap df r psliipr iera gu tle $911139a is at The rails 11 and 13 are in the form ends of interrupted rail 13, and positionedwithin-the strap 15 is a plastic or wood block 16 to which the latch hardware can be attached.

vr lhegrail 13 for a swinging-Itype door is set at a slight angle to form the beveled edge necessary-'for th is type of door. Foria sliding door,- ofcourse, this "beveled door is =n'ot' nec'essary.

According to the present invention',iboth' oftthe rails a decorative outer' layer corisisting ofa sh'eetof 'veneer of idecorative' fwood. These facing sheets are "supported in xactparallel-"s thee hgi'wpe'rt ii thereof extendingparaflel with the edges of'the 'doors'j and with 1 the flange or: leg artextendih into the core of the door, an'd' bein'g} provided with' 'cut-- outs '26 through 2 which the-plastic material 1 passes" when it "is fo'a'i'ned; thereby tig'htly interloclting therails with the core of the door.

The r-ails :11 and is. are set inwardly from the side edge of the. doora distance about qual"to the" thickness of the plywoodweneer facing,'- and this perm'its theside v edges of the door to receive' 'the veneer-12 strips 28 which are bo'nded to the head of the adjacent rail and between the edg'es of the 'face' sheets 20 and-22, whereby the front and baek: faees and the 'two side edges of the door have an entire wood surface. The plywoow strip along thela'th side' of the door would, ofcourse; ibe'linterrupted' or cut -iout to' pe' 'it 'the lateh -mechanisrn to 'be mounted on the in'sert 1 arid,*similirly;v the veneer strip '28"'at' the dpfiosit'e e'dge' of the 'door would be interrut at'd' at the pi'per-places to receive the hin'ge means 30by means of which the door is hu'ng-in the door-opening.

a then gbefastend' directly to in throuigh'itlie" hinge 'ai'rd i portion ofthe rail, whichE-m y job ,site or ariufactured,

'in ge 'iriayjsiinilaily be ta exegesierally suspended fromqhe top -.by-.-hardware attached to the door and running in guides along the top of the door frame. Such a door may also be supported at the bottom by being engaged by guideways and hardware on the bottom of the door.

With this in mind, the present invention also contemplates providing transversly extending wood members across.;-eit her:-th etop of= the door-or-boththetop and bottom. :For =-exaniple, in Figure f8; there=is i1lustrated 10 a transversely extending wooden member 38 set downwardly somewhatffom 't-he to'p edge of the door, and which :wooden memberr-can be availed oft-forattaching hardware to the door so that the stresses accompanying such an attachmeht' would not-be irriposed on the more fragile core structure,

It will be understood that the transversely extending wooden member 38 would be bonded directly to the front aiid baclc' faces of the door,--as' well as'-'being imbedded in the cor of the door; a'nd could,-' further, "be attached at its ends to the s-iderails ll and l3 ofthe- 'door, if so desired: 'Thi's could 'readiiy -be accomplished' by slotting the-eiids of meinbe'rs 38' receive the" inwar'=dlyfprojectin angesof the side'rail'sj and availing 0f the ape'rtures in positiveconneetion between the wooden Ber ii) provided ftir the -satrie puiqaoseas; the Wooden member 38, but set between the front and back faces of the dorat th reme upper end thereof. The i b availedotionthe-attachment of p of the door-which is' of course, ore; indestructible thantlie coreimaterial of r;' nd c'-n bef sawed and planed" if I necessary to fi't the 'door into a dor openinga t .t 7

Whereas and lfi atth'e edges offith'e' door may con sist of theT section illustrated having the holes .formed amp-1e; in Figure' fi there:is:illustrated-aT rail 42 m which 't-hifiapertures 44- are provided bystriking-out tabs 46 from the center leg of =tl1e rail. ...tThis-arra ngementperhiits the use of'a standard,-=ai1d:thus-inexpensive,

T mmber for rnaking the rails. In:E-igure =7, there is shown a rail 48 con'si'sting of a flat strip of: metal and hav" 'g tongue's 50 bent tbackwardly ntheref'rom soas. to

b" bed'cied in the rnaterial obthe core when t-he core is edbyexpandingthefplastima r 11 making' up a door according toitheipresent invert: tion, it is preferable first to make up the-frame; then to plac n'e ofthepanels ofeth'e 'door-iin'za horizontai position e the-frame -on-the3panehzplace upon thepanel then dd ition a'Qmeasure'd'amwnt 0f Hn'expanded plastic material. 7 and I distribute: this material trelatively uni.- .forrnl-w overithe:1panel,;then' lacev the second panelin j" placefiandiexpandthe plastie by; the; application. f P whilefinaintainingga .-pr;edeterr nined. .pres s ureon thepanels f to*prevent-.separationthereof. E :3 r J en 1 the iifl'asti and for this reaso th ront -an'd backh adhesive prior to- 'the expandh adhesiyezwill bond the, plas? jtic to ihe panels and be set up: and acuredi simultaneously I with the expanding of thekp'iasticabetween thqpanels lfi islal'soicontemplated 'torprovide-the inner face of the' panel'si-witltaerdechanicahbondingmeans in theiform of upstanding jfibers or, a roughness, and this maybeim 'd also, this vmembewp'rovides a InFigure 10, there is shown'aii ai-iaiigeniefi 'whereih' Parted 9 sii nst. ayer. ti s snss tss P l by rough sanding or scratch brushing or in a like manner.

"The'st'rips 28 along the" side edges of the door may be placed in the mold and bondingth'ereof with the rails 11 and 13 effected simultaneously'with'the expansion of the, core ,materi al. ,liloweyer, these wstrips can also be added to the door after it is removed from the mold merely by supporting the rails during the formation of the door so as to leave the proper space for the said strips and then gluing the strips in the said space after the door is removed from the mold. More preferably still, the strips on the rail members are bonded thereto before the rail members are placed in the mold so that when the door comes from the mold all exposed surfaces thereof are of wood except where the hinges are to be attached and the opening for the latch assembly.

It will be evident that the door structure is especially designed so that the plastic material will expand relatively free between the facing panels of the door whereby the core of the door is of substantially uniform density throughout and firmly supports the panels over their entire area. The panels are thus prevented from warping or buckling, or sinking inwardly, but will remain flat throughout the life of the door.

The plastic material referred to is preferably expandible polystyrene, which is supplied in the form of fine granules that will expand up to 30 times the original volume when heated. For a door core, it is preferred to have somewhat less expansion; and, l have found that a density of about 2 pounds per cubic foot of the expanded plastic material provides for a suitable core density.

The heating of the mold may be accomplished in an autoclave or in an oven, or any other means of supplying suflicient heat to the plastic material will result in the foaming thereof. I have found that temperatures of from 230 to 290 degrees F. are suflicient for obtaining proper expansion and curing of the plastic material.

For a workpiece of the size of a door, it may be necessary to provide means for heating the plastic material directly in the cavity that the core will occupy, and this can be done according to more or less conventional practices by introducing heating probes into the cavity and withdrawing these probes as the plastic material expands, so that when the expansion is complete the probes are completely withdrawn.

The probes could, for example, be introduced through openings in the top and bottom rails of the door, and

these openings thereafter plugged. This would be the case where wooden rails were employed, whereas in the case where the perforated rails, as indicated at 18 in Figure 3 were employed, the probes could be introduced directly through the apertures in these rails, thus eliminating the necessity of plugging any holes after the completion of the door.

It has been mentioned that the plastic material is placed into the cavity of the door in measured amount, and distributed therein in order to obtain substantially uniform density of the core when the material is expanded. Since the density of the core is relatively low, the present invention also contemplates pre-expansion of the plastic material before being placed in position, so that the cavity could be filled level-full with pre-expanded plastic, and thereafter the cover sheet placed on the door and the final expanding of the material accomplished. In this manner, substantially completely uniform characteristics of the core would be had throughout.

While a specific plastic material disclosed is polystyrene, and while this material at the present is actually preferred for reason of cost, it will be evident that other foaming plasticmaterial could also be employed, for example, polyurethane and isocyanate could also be employed; and, these materials will also foam to form a In the caseoflfully prefinisheddoors, it may in some ,cases be preferable to form the'facing sheets on the opposite sides of the door and the cover strip on the side rail of the do or with mitred edgesas disclosed in Figure 11. InFigure 11 the core has the facing sheets '72 and 74 and the edge rail 76 having a cover strip 78 and with the strip 78 and with the strip and facing sheets being mitred as at 80. This eliminates all edge grain and the facing sheets and strip can be prefinished smooth and after coming from the mold will only require at the most only a light sanding operation to trim up imperfections along the mitred joint.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions; and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a door, front and back panels, a foamed plastic core filling the space between said front and back panels and bonded to said panels to support them in flat parallel relationship, metal side rails extending vertically along the side edges of said door between said panels and terminating short of the top and bottom edges of the panels and core, and transverse members connecting corresponding ends of said side rails so that the portions of the panels and plastic core outwardly of said transverse members provide a trim allowance on the top and bottom edges of the door, said core being also bonded to said side rails and transverse members.

2. In a door, front and'back panels, a foamed plastic core filling the space between said front and back panels and bonded to said panels to support them in flat parallel relationship, metal side rails extending vertically along the side edges of said door between said panels and terminating short of the top and bottom edges of the panels and core, transverse members connecting corresponding ends of said side rails so that the portions of the panels and plastic core outwardly of said transverse members provide a trim allowance on the top and bottom edges of the door, said core being also bonded to said side rails and transverse members, a member positioned in one of said side rails in substantially the center of the door for receiving the latch mechanism of the door, a hinge plate fastened on the other of said side rails, strips covering said side rails and positioned between the edges of said panels, said strips being interrupted in the region of said hinge plates and said latch mechanism member, said panels and strips comprising an outer face of decorative wood veneer, and at least the strip on the hinge edge of said door having the same thickness as the hinge plate secured to the door.

3. In a door, front and back panels, a foamed plastic core filling the space between said front and back panels and bonded to said panels to support them in fiat parallel relationship, metal side rails extending vertically along the side edges of said door between said panels and terminating short of the top and bottom edges of the panels and core, each of said rails comprising a T-section with the web thereof having a plurality of perforations spaced along the length thereof and said web extending into said plastic core, intermediate of said panels with the flange of the T-rail being parallel to the adjacent edge of the door and spaced inwardly therefrom a short distance, transverse members connecting corresponding ends of said side rails so that the portions of the panels and plastic core. outwardly of said transverse members provide a trim allowance on the top and bottom edges of the door, said core being also bonded to said side rails and trans verse members, and strips of the same material as said panels set between the edges of the panels and bonded to the flanges of said side rails whereby all of the vertical surfaces of the door are of the same material.

(References on following page) 

